Baby #4 Has Arrived!

Wow, what a week!  We finally welcomed Baby #4 into the world very early Saturday morning.  After many false starts, labor finally decided to full kick in on Friday:  on our daughter's birthday!  I didn't quite expect to be spending the day in labor.  As evening set in, the contractions picked up considerably, but we fit in all of the birthday festivities.  I joked on Facebook that you know you're on your fourth kid when you are making dinner in between contractions (our Friday homemade pizza night)!  We gave the Princess most of her presents in the morning, but had saved her bike for the evening.  We timed out the delivery of her gift:  once a contraction was over, we had about five minutes to spare, so my husband quickly brought it out and the look on her face was priceless!  We did the same thing with singing "Happy Birthday" and serving cupcakes.  It was really was pretty funny.  I'd say "Go!" when the contraction ended and we moved quickly.  Probably a day I will never forget.  I just kept praying this little one would hold off until the following day!

Once we got the kids to bed, we hung out with my parents for a bit and then hit the road for the hospital.  Once we arrived, things went pretty quickly and our little girl made her appearance at 2:07 A.M.  It was an amazing experience, so calm and intimate, and my husband proudly caught our daughter and announced her sex.  Definitely a unique experience and we were thrilled she arrived safe and healthy.  We spent a few days in the hospital and felt like we were on vacation because it was so quiet.  It was wonderful to spend those days bonding with our little girl and our other children were so amazing and loving when they came to visit.  She is definitely not going to be deprived of attention.  It was so wonderful to see how much they loved her and took her all in.  Definitely some teary moments!

We are so in love with our little girl.  It is amazing how my heart just grows with each new addition.  I spent a lot of time reflecting on how blessed we are those first few days (when it was so quiet!).  It amazes me how much our lives have changed in six years:  we've welcomed four children into this world!  All of our children have brought such joy to our lives and I was just overcome with gratitude that we have been so abundantly blessed.  It is so hard to put into words how I felt when I saw all of them together in the same room.  One of the best moments was when our oldest son was holding our daughter and the other two were gathered around looking at her.  That photograph is priceless!

We have had a few days to adjust to life as a family of six.  There are definitely going to be good days and bad days, but I know we will find good in each day.  I am just so relieved that we have made it to this point and look forward to seeing how everyone adapts to their new roles.  Sleep is hard to come by, but I am loving all of the newborn snuggles and bonding time we have had.  I know things will eventually improve, but until then, I'm just going to be grateful for what little sleep I do get!